Arsenal’s Kai Havertz Making Rapid Recovery from Hamstring Injury
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that forward Kai Havertz is making a rapid recovery from his hamstring injury and could potentially return to action as early as Sunday’s home game against Newcastle. According to Arteta, Havertz’s determination to return ahead of schedule has led to the forward "destroying" every physical metric at Arsenal’s training ground.
The German international was expected to miss the rest of the campaign after tearing a hamstring in February, but he has pushed himself hard during his rehabilitation. As reported by The Guardian, Arteta is impressed by how much Havertz has bulked up during his time on the sidelines, saying, "There’s been a transformation in his body. The last three years in his career have been so condensed that he hasn’t had time to do that and this has been a window and he really wanted to use it."
Arteta revealed that Havertz has exceeded all physical metrics at the club’s training ground, saying, "You can see his presence and I think he destroyed all the metrics that we had in the gym for the last 10 years. All of them. Power, acceleration, muscle mass, the way that he has increased certain capacities in his body, his agility, he’s been incredible." The manager added that Havertz’s mindset has raised the standards in the team, with other injured players looking at him and feeling motivated to do the same.
Havertz’s potential return will come as a boost to Arsenal, who have struggled with injuries to their attacking players. Gabriel Jesus was out with a knee injury, forcing Arteta to push Mikel Merino further forward. The club is prioritising the signing of a recognised striker this summer, with Sporting’s Viktor Gyökeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko on their radar.
Arteta remains hopeful that the club’s finances can be flexible enough to accommodate their transfer plans. "The budget is like when you plan your wedding with your wife,
